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Butler's rapid rise leads to Futures Game

Butler's rapid rise leads to Futures Game

2013 MLB.com Top Prospects: Eddie Butler's fastball sits in the mid-90s with sinking action and his slider gives him a second plus-pitch

By Ian McCue
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MLB.com |

DENVER -- Eddie Butler's rise through the Minor Leagues received another boost Wednesday when he earned a spot on the U.S. Team in the Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game on July 14.

Butler, selected 46th overall by the Rockies in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft and currently ranked the organization's No. 9 prospect by MLB.com, is a right-handed pitcher with the Class A Advanced Modesto Nuts. He started the season with low Class A Asheville, but his 1.66 ERA and 5-1 record in nine starts earned him a quick promotion in late May.

Since joining Modesto, Butler has a 3.18 ERA and 3-1 record, walking nine and striking out 34 in 34 innings. The Radford University product has been particularly dominant as of late, allowing one earned run or fewer in three of his last four starts.

Despite beginning his professional career as a starting pitcher, his high-90s fastball, complemented by a sinker, project him as a reliever in the Majors.

Butler, 22, showed promising big league potential from the start, leading the Pioneer League with a 2.13 ERA when he played for the rookie league Grand Junction Rockies last summer. Those first-year numbers were enough for Baseball America to name him Colorado's sixth-best prospect ahead of the 2013 season.

Butler is the second pitcher to represent the Rockies in the Futures Game in as many years, as lefty Edwar Cabrera was a part of last year's game in Kansas City. Rockies starting third baseman Nolan Arenado, one of the club's most exciting young stars, also played in the 2012 Futures Game.

The 15th annual Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game takes place at noon MST on All-Star Sunday at Citi Field in New York and can be seen live on MLB.com, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD and followed live on MLB.com's Gameday. In addition, XM Radio will broadcast play-by-play coverage of the event live on MLB Network Radio XM 89. MLB.com will also provide complete coverage before, during and after the game. Fans can stay updated by following @MLBFutures on Twitter and can send/receive tweets to/from the U.S. and World Team dugouts during the game by tagging tweets with the hashtags #USDugout and #WorldDugout.

Also, for the first time, fans will determine the final player on the U.S. and World Team rosters by casting their votes in the All-Star Sunday Futures Finalists ballot. There are five candidates for each team, and voting ends on Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

Ian McCue is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.